Sungai Siput incumbent claims he was offered money, position to quit PKR in 2020


Ravin Palanisamy

Pakatan Harapan’s Sungai Siput candidate Kesavan Subramaniam (r) says he is not the type that goes after position or money. – Kesavan Subramaniam Facebook pic, November 14, 2022.

PAKATAN Harapan’s Sungai Siput candidate Kesavan Subramaniam today claimed that he was offered a huge sum of money and ministerial position to leave PKR in 2020 during the infamous Sheraton Move. 

He said he was invited to leave the party along with 11 other PKR MPs who defected but he did not do so.

He did not reveal the identity of the persons who made him the offer.

The defection of the 11 as well as the pullout of Bersatu caused the fall of the PH government after just 22 months. 

“When the Sheraton Move took place, 11 MPs betrayed PKR, where Bersatu also betrayed PH by leaving to form the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government,” Kesavan told a ceramah in Sungai Siput, Perak today.  

“At that time, there were leaders who invited me to defect with them and told me that I can get a minister or a deputy minister’s position.

“(They said) if I don’t want both, they will offer me RM10 or RM20 million.”

“They tried to influence me but I did not betray the party, I will not betray PH and I will not betray the people of Sungai Siput who supported me on May 9, 2018,” said the incumbent Sungai Siput lawmaker. 

The Malaysian Insight had contacted Kesavan to ask if he would consider lodging a report to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over his claims but the PKR lawmaker has yet to respond.   

In February 2020, 11 PKR MPs defected to Bersatu following the Sheraton Move, which saw the fall of the PH government.

Among those who left PKR was then party deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, Zuraida Kamaruddin, Saifuddin Abdullah, Baru Bian, Kamaruddin Jaafar, Mansor Othman, Rashid Hasnoon, Santhara Kumar, Ali Biju, Willie Mongin, and Jonathan Yasin. 

Of the 11, four became full ministers in the new PN government.

Kesavan’s claim comes just a few days after Batu incumbent P. Prabakaran, also from PKR, that claimed he was offered a sum of money to join Barisan Nasional’s Indian-based party MIC. 

Describing the situation as testing times, Kesavan said he managed to overcome it. 

Kesavan said that he had never been crazy over power, position or money. 

“I’m not the type that goes after position or money.”

“Thank God I passed the test and I’m proud because as the Sungai Siput MP, I defended my dignity by not choosing to defect to satisfy my political ambition,” he said. 

The ceramah was also attended by PH chairman and prime minister candidate Anwar Ibrahim. He was greeted by some 3,000 people in the constituency although it was a working day. 

Anwar wooed the voters by saying he will be a prime minister for all races and that he will tackle inflation, the rising cost of living as well as corruption. 

Anwar took a swipe at Sungai Siput’s MIC/BN candidate S.A Vigneswaran and his party for failing to address pressing issues concerning the public.

“Did Vigneswaran or MIC talk about the rising cost of living and the rising cost of goods? Did he speak out against the government on these issues?

“So why do you want to vote for him? Just because he is Indian? Well, Kesavan is Indian too,” he told the huge crowd. 

In Sg Siput, Kesavan is in a seven-way fight where he will go up against Vigneswaran, G. Irudianathan of PN, Ahmad Fauzi Mohd Jaafar of Gerakan Tanah Air and three other independents. – November 14, 2022.


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